I just bought a 1997 XK8 with 25K miles on it. Car looks great. However my headlights do not work. High beams do, I tried putting tape on back of mirror, I still have same issue. The other issue is my passenger side headlight has a lot of moisture in housing. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank's

 

25k on a 97, wow that's remarkable! Welcome.
Re the mirror comment, not sure where you're going with that. High/low beams are controlled, if memory serves, by the left stalk. Have you checked the fuses?
Moisture in the headlight is a common problem, search the form for a service bulletin on that, but short term is pop the top cover off the top of the headlight, and stick your hair dryer in it set on high for a hour.
Regards,

 

Welcome to the forum Greg XK8,

Please follow this link New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the New Member Area - Intro a MUST forum and post some info about yourself and your vehicle for all members to see. In return you'll get a proper welcome and some useful advice about posting to the forum.

Graham

 

I Bought an XKR last week and the head lights were fogged and damp inside.
I just turned the brights on when ever the car was running. Took a week but they look good as new now.

 

Thanks for the feedback. The tape on the mirror I read in one of the threads that the sensor in the rearview mirror controlled the headlights when they were in auto mode.

 

Check the relays inside the left engine compartment fuse box. They are interchanable so swap them around and see if the problem moves. Could be a bad relay.

 

Auto-mode may be your problem; do the headlights work in manual mode i.e., first click/rotation on the stalk is running lights, second click turns on headlights, third click turns on auto light function? If they come on in manual (second click), then it could be a problem with the rear view mirror, do a search, it is widely covered. My '03 XKR has/had the same problem with the mirror shaking around, and when I had it in the automatic setting, the headlights would turn off for a second or two whenever I went over a bump; turning on the lights manually solved this problem. I am not fond of the auto lights setting/function to begin with, I prefer to control my own headlights. However, if it were the shaky mirror syndrome, there is a fix where you bend the tab out so the mirror is tighter, but the lights should still come on, if the gel pack inside the mirror burst, you will need to buy a replacement mirror, CAUTION, I BELIEVE THE GEL IS TOXIC, and will damage the interior if it starts to leak from the housing, still turning them on manually would still work. If they come on when turned on manually, it's the mirror, if not, it's the stalk switch or fuse, or the lamps themselves; have you confirmed the bulbs are not blown if all other lights are working. What do you know of the history of this vehicle? It has very low miles for a '97, Congrats on that score! But, could the previous owner have unplugged the headlights for some reason, or a shop for that matter, I would check there as well. Also, be aware of your generations engine issues, and find out if the Nikosil liners have been replaced, and the plastic timing chain parts should be addressed asap. You will find an abundant amount of information on this site regarding all the issues with your model year vehicle, and information on how to deal with them quickly and easily; before you have to deal with them in a costly and time consuming manner. Again, congratulations on an excellent find.

 

O3XKR is right about the secondary tensioners, verify that the updated metal tensioners have been installed, if not get it done PDQ.

Re Nikosil, this is an old issue, and well past its sell by date. If the engine has survived this long without a problem, then there's not going to be one. The cause of this problem, high sulphur content in the fuel was resolved long ago when the Government mandated sulphur content below 0.05%.
Current thinking on Nikosil is that it's so hard it may, to all intents and purposes, never wear out. We have many contributors who's Nilosil lined engines are approaching 200,000 miles and are still going strong nor are they using oil.

Bore wash might also be an issue. Never start your engine then stop it with a few seconds. The rich mixture injected to keep your cold engine running may wash the oil from the bores, when restart is attempted the compression is so low the engine will not start. The fix is simple but time consuming, removed all the spark plugs, pour a few ounces of engine oil into each cylinder, reinstall the plugs, start your engine, and wait for the smoke to clear.
Regards,

 

Thanks for all the good advise. I know that the tensioners were replaced about 6 months ago. Unfortunately I picked the coldest week in years to buy a convertible!! Hopefully this weekend it will warm up and I will get some time to work on car. The other issue I found the other day is the passenger set belt is stuck, Has anyone had to take this unit apart? is it a big job?

 

Greg,

Keeping 'on topic' is important for making the forum such a valuable information resource.

If you can't find the answer in a forum search, please start a new thread for the seat belt question.

Graham

 

Greg some of us, myself included, use the black tape to fool the car into running the headlights whenever the ignition is on. My car is asphalt grey and i need to worry about blending in so this is next best to daytime running lights for safety.